Haruki and The Third Kazekage planted a young seedling in the sandy soil together, marking the official end of the groundbreaking ceremony.
The Sand Ninjas around them immediately burst into enthusiastic applause.
They had been in Sunagakure for almost a month.
Every day, Haruki would take Tsunade around and offer guidance in the newly established departments, such as the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Mineral Resources, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Electricity.
And today was the first day of the Tree - planting and Afforestation plan of the Ministry of Environment.
Haruki recalled the groundbreaking ceremonies from his past life and suggested that The Third Kazekage plant the first sapling with his own hands.
The Third Kazekage invited him to join in for the purpose of winning him over and showing gratitude.
Haruki didn't decline.
In theory, entrusting the tree - planting task to a ninja like him who could use Wood Release would significantly reduce the time required.
But Haruki didn't need to expose himself. On the other hand, it could also provide jobs for the civilians who had lost their livelihoods due to the war.
Just like with railway tunnels, his Earth Release was also naturally suitable for this kind of work.
However, Haruki wasn't in a hurry.
Things like fruits took time to grow.
Currently, only Gold Dust was making money.
But such an important thing as Gold Dust definitely couldn't be transported by rail.
He planned to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to move it or let the Sand Ninjas in Sunagakure use their sand - controlling abilities for air transportation.
Haruki casually tossed the shovel to a Sand Ninja standing nearby.
The young Sand Ninja took it with a look of reverence, completely different from the hatred he had shown when Haruki first arrived.
Not only him, but the attitudes of all the Sand Ninjas who had come into contact with Haruki had done a complete 180 - degree turn within a month.
In a sense, if Haruki weren't a Konoha ninja, he might even be a candidate for the next Kazekage.
In addition, Minato Namikaze and Mikoto Uchiha had also been showing their faces a lot and winning people's favor recently.
To keep his two apprentices from getting too bored, Haruki asked The Third Kazekage to give them a lot of duties. They completed their duties quickly and well. The amount of duties they had taken on had reached the average level of Chunin.
Haruki planned to apply to Hiruzen Sarutobi for their promotion to Chunin when they returned to Konoha.
In fact, based on their achievements in the battle against Sunagakure last time, the three of them could have been promoted exceptionally. But Haruki had been too busy and forgotten about it.
"I still can't quite believe it, you know," Tsunade said, standing beside him and looking at the bustling scene. "Can they really achieve what you said and make the desert disappear?"
"It's hard to make it completely disappear, but it's relatively easy to expand the oasis," Haruki said, gently stroking her silver hair. "Moreover, isn't the most precious thing the smiles on these people's faces?"
Tsunade shifted her gaze.
Thanks to Haruki's suggestion, more than two - thirds of the people participating in the tree - planting were civilians.
They were all from the border areas.
When they first arrived, they were all panicked. To them, ninjas were almost the same as the culprits who had destroyed their homes.
But after Sunagakure provided them with food, accommodation, and jobs, they felt completely different. Many of them were so moved that they shed tears.
This scene would surely be unforgettable for Tsunade.
She had grown up in a different environment and it was hard for her to understand their feelings, but she was still infected by the emotions.
Over the course of a month, Tsunade saw something unprecedented.
Once again, her hatred for war reached its peak.
She never knew before that the ones who suffered the most were not Konoha, nor the ninjas, but these innocent civilians who were caught in the crossfire.
"Tsunade, becoming the Hokage shouldn't be the goal, nor should it be the result of a power struggle, and it definitely shouldn't be a mere dream," Haruki said in a soft voice. "When in a position, one should assume the corresponding responsibilities. The Hokage is just a starting point. I hope that one day, everyone will be friendly and helpful to each other, every family will live in peace and contentment, there will be no differences, and there will be no war."
Suddenly, he remembered a passage from *The Book of Rites* about the idea of Universal Peace and Harmony.
"The elderly are provided for in their old age, the able - bodied are employed, the young are nurtured and educated, and the widowers, widows, orphans, the childless, and the disabled are all taken care of..."
Tsunade raised her head.
The handsome image of Haruki was reflected in her eyes.
The golden light of the sun enveloped him, and he seemed to be glowing.
She lowered her head, and suddenly her heart started to race. It was just like a lovesick young girl seeing her crush. Her eyes were burning with endless longing.
She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to control herself and would pounce on him the next moment.
Tsunade finally understood why she had fallen for him.
As the saying goes, a serious man is the most attractive.
But a man who lives up to his ideals is equally charming.
When they first met, Tsunade only regarded Haruki as an orphan with a pitiful background but some talent as a Medical Ninja.
During The Second Great Ninja War, while others either feared or respected her because of her status and strength, only he truly understood what she did and her ideals.
After that, the situation reversed. The usually assertive Tsunade began to get to know Haruki because of her love.
No, it should be said that it was only at this moment that she truly understood.
A man with a lofty ideal unique in the ninja world and who marched forward unwaveringly towards this ideal.
She had never heard of or seen such a person before.
Well, perhaps her grandfather, Hashirama Senju, was also a similar person.
But the two were completely different. Although it was a bit disrespectful to her grandfather, she agreed more with Haruki's approach.
She thought to herself that she was really an unqualified girlfriend.
"What are you thinking about?"
Seeing that she had been silent, Haruki couldn't help but wonder if what he said was really that impactful.
Did she not understand? Or was her thinking not fully changed yet?
He had taken Tsunade along with him in everything he did these days, naturally to let her learn.
When she became the Hokage, he wouldn't have to teach her everything step by step.
The most important thing was the sublimation of her thinking.
From birth to now, she had always adhered to the actions and thoughts of a ninja.
"Am I getting even more handsome?" Haruki pondered for a moment. Since it was Tsunade, he wasn't in a hurry and began to tease her again.
"Shameless!" Tsunade slapped his hand.
"Oh, so I can still charm you even without this face?"
"..."
Tsunade was both angry and amused. What a crazy explanation! Although in a way, it was true now, it was so annoying!
If they weren't in a secluded grove in the wild, she would definitely make Haruki admit his mistake loudly.
Haruki's gaze involuntarily shifted downward.
Killing intent.
Tsunade's face was filled with a murderous look.
He forced a laugh and joked, "Haha, Tsunade, what would you like to eat for lunch today? I'll cook for you. Or we can let Minato and Mikoto do it. In the past month, they've barely reached half my cooking level."
Tsunade rolled her eyes at him and snorted, "I think Minato's already almost better than you."
"What! That's impossible!" Haruki flared up, "He won't be able to surpass me even in a hundred years!"
"What's with this strange competitive streak of yours?" Tsunade couldn't help laughing. She wasn't really angry in the first place.
"Others can say that, but not you." Haruki sounded a bit aggrieved.
All the praise you've given me before can't compare with the insult of this statement.
This is a man's unique sense of dignity.
Tsunade was taken aback. She looked at him and waved him over.
Haruki bent down.
Tsunade kissed his cheek and put a finger on his lips, smiling, "In my heart, no one will ever surpass you, even after a thousand years."
It was about cooking skills and also about affection.
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